Local Government Jobs in Oak Ridge, TN (NOW HIRING)

This position provides program research, design, support, delivery for teaching the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) Certified County Finance Officer (CCFO) and Municipal Technical Advisory Services (MTAS) Certified Municipal Officer Finance (CMFO) and other CTAS and MTAS training programs. Working knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and governmental accounting standards board (GASB) pronouncements. Provide finance and accounting consulting to CTAS/MTAS customers and serve as an in-house technical expert for CTAS and MTAS staff. Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) and provide technical assistance in broad areas including topics such as cash management and investing, budgeting, purchasing, payroll, internal controls, debt management, capital assets, financial reporting and several other governmental accounting and finance topics. Provide consulting services in solving complex accounting, financial reporting, and management questions and problems directly to CTAS/MTAS customers and consultants. Provide technical assistance and consultation to over 1,400+ past CCFO and CMFO graduates from TN 95 counties and 345 municipalities. Develop and present continuing professional development (CPE) course presentations at several statewide conferences and association meetings. Collaborate with various stakeholders to include Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury and other state departments and agencies. Conduct ongoing needs assessment of complex governmental accounting and financial reporting topics and immerging issues to improve the accounting and financial management skills of local government leaders and finance personnel by providing training at conferences and meetings. Develop, deliver, and assess in-person and web-based program courses. This position requires extensive overnight travel. Perform other duties and special projects as assigned by the CCFO/CMFO Program Manager.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field 
• Experience:  
  • (8) years or more of experience in local government accounting and finance as a finance director/deputy finance director/budget director/controller/senior accountant for a local/state government/public university, or as an audit manager/senior auditor or accountant for a local/state government or CPA firm with a concentration in local government auditing and accounting, or as a local government finance/budgetary consultant for a state/university or consulting firm, or equivalent experience. 
  • At employment, or within 24 months, or two years, of hire date the employee agrees to obtain at least one (1) of the following professional license or national certifications: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or Certified Government Finance Manager (CGFM), or Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO).
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
  • Requires strong knowledge of Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) pronouncements, financial reporting, accounting concepts, and theory. 
  • Knowledge of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Government Auditing Standards, U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance for federal grants, and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) GAFFR blue book.
  • Ability to analyze local government financial statements including the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and various legal and regulatory requirements of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury and other state agencies.
  • Knowledge of the management, structure, and operations of local governments of counties, cities, and boards of education (BOE).

Must have the knowledge, skills, and ability (KSA) to adapt from simple accounting tasks to complex accounting and financial reporting. Possess the following skills: (a) managerial, (b) analytical, (c) conceptual, and (d) interpersonal. Interpersonal skills should include excellent oral and written communications, public speaking, and the ability to multi-task and prioritize projects and meet deadlines for publishing and delivery of course materials. Individuals should be self-motivated, work independently, and detail oriented, which is required to plan, research, design, develop, consult, and teach program and CPE courses in an engaging, informative, professional, and technically competent manner.

Ability to independently exercise sound professional judgement when dealing with customers and stakeholders. At employment, or within 24 months of hire date one of the following professional license or national certifications must be obtained: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or Certified Government Finance Manager (CGFM), or Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO).

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Public Administration, or a related field

• Experience: 
  • (5) years or more experience.
  • Previous experience working with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, other State of TN Department or Agency, local government, UT IPS agency, or CPA firm with a concentration of governmental auditing would be a plus. 
  • Prior experience in developing, training, and teaching continuing professional education (CPE) courses in local governmental accounting/auditing/finance and other related topics to accountants, auditors or other professional staff would be desirable.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Knowledge and skills of a certified CPE instructor or trainer would be a plus. Ability to facilitate in-person classes with diverse student backgrounds and level of experience.

Work Location: Knoxville, Chattanooga, or Johnson City, TN  

The Institute for Public Service (IPS) supports a formal Alternative Work Arrangement program currently in place and more information can be provided if candidate progresses through the recruitment process.

 
Benefits  

• Find more information on UT Benefits here
   

Application Instructions 

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted on or before May 2, 2026.

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• List of 3 Professional References 
   

About The College/Department/Division 

The UT Institute for Public Service provides outreach and assistance to all of Tennessee. Through our agencies and initiatives, we offer technical assistance, training, and consulting on a wide variety of services, including government operations, language services, law enforcement excellence, leadership training, manufacturing excellence, opioid abatement and much more.

Planning/Developing/Teaching/Consulting/Collaboration:

• Research, design, and present the CCFO/CMFO and other training program materials for training and CPE classes. 
• Maintain positive working relationships with other CTAS/MTAS staff and past CCFO/CMFO graduates. 
• Assess, design, and teach program courses directly to the customers across the State of TN which will require extensive overnight travel. 
• Market the CCFO/CMFO program in collaboration and collaborate with other CTAS/MTAS consultants and staff to evaluate and facilitate delivery of course content to customers with varying experience levels from basic, intermediate, and advanced. 
• Conduct surveys and other related research. 
• Coordinate, promote and facilitate local and regional training sessions. 
• Work independently on local government accounting, financial reporting, auditing, and other specialized related government finance topics in consultation with the CCFO/CMFO Program Manager. 
• Assist in the evaluation of the effectiveness of various training courses for participants and who provide feedback. 
• This position is a subject matter expert (SME) involved in reviewing the work of other CCFO/CMFO Training Consultants in the drafting and continuously updating program and CPE materials.
• Interaction and collaboration with county and city finance/budget directors and staff on new issues including outreach and presentations in regional meetings, professional conferences, and the TN Comptroller's Office. 
• Improve knowledge on a variety of leadership and management topics, and various effective training methods and technologies. 
• Work with the staff of the TN Comptroller of the Treasury in designing and updating course materials and continuing professional education (CPE) courses. 
• Independently assess, update, and create training courses for the CCFO/CMFO program and other finance related courses for other CTAS/MTAS training programs, from conception by conducting research, exploring resources, developing exercises, course content, and exams. 
• Design, develop and record new or revise topics for online recording as an alternative way for customers to earn CPE credits. 
• Identify emerging issues or topics that require immediate communication to customers by group email. 
• Ensure quality control of all course materials and content by complying with National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and American Institute of CPA's (AICPA) continuing professional education (CPE) professional standards

Consultation, Technical Support and Outreach:

• Requires working knowledge of proposed and newly issued Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) accounting pronouncements, GAO Government Auditing Standards and other professional standards, legal and related finance topics. 
• Serve as subject matter expert (SME) and resources for CTAS/MTAS consultants and customers. Work independently by providing direct consulting of accounting/budgeting and other complex financial related matters support to customers to solve problems in the design and operations of local government financial management systems.
•  Field visits to counties, cities, or boards of education when requested to provide consulting services.
• Assist customers in developing and evaluating audit risks assessments to identify weaknesses in internal controls to improve compliance with federal and state laws and regulations and decrease potential audit findings. 
• Consult directly with customers in reviewing and identifying areas for improvements such as accounting records, cybersecurity, and internal control policies and procedures to improve financial management systems. 
• Provide and encourage best practices to reduce costs/expenditures and to help maximize local government revenues. 
• Serve as a resource in assisting customers in fiscal year-end closing of accounting records and financial reporting in a more efficient and effective manner.
• Provide outreach to customers and stakeholders by planning, developing, and teaching CPE courses to professional governmental accounting, and county/city organizations.

Administration and Professional Development:

• Communicate with CCFO/CMFO students and graduates using various internal systems. 
• Attend CTAS/MTAS agency meetings, IPS meetings and conferences, maintaining records on all relevant activities using the D2I system. 
• Professional development time spent in various governmental accounting/finance related update courses such as GASB updates, accounting, budgeting, internal controls, auditing, debt, grants, and financial reporting.
•  Attend professional meetings, conferences, seminars, training classes, professional reading, and technology training. 
• Requires overnight travel throughout the year to attend various professional accounting association conferences.